


Your Heart is on My Sleeve

by mariposaroja



Category: MotoGP RPF, Motorcycling RPF
Genre: Kinda AU, Kinda canon, M/M, snapshot form, soul mates, underage Marc, wrist markings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-07-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 14:44:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3900157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariposaroja/pseuds/mariposaroja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Your heart is on my sleeve, did you put it there with a magic marker? For years I would believe that the world couldn't wash it away...</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea is very much inspired by a lovely Manu Neuer/ Thomas Muller AU that I read sometime last year (I can't for the life of me remember the name of it!). If anyone knows it, let me know! Anyway, I would like to acknowledge that that's where the idea stemmed from so major credit goes to the writer of that story :) 
> 
> This was going to be one long (emphasis on _long_ ) one shot but I decided it would be less monotonous if it was broken into bitesize chapters. Anyway, as always I would love to hear what you think! :) ♥

Dani Pedrosa had never really understood the concept of a soul mate. That one person out of everyone in the whole entire world that you’re meant to somehow meet, fall instantly in love and spend the rest of your life blissfully happy with… It all seemed a little too good to be true. That had been his opinion for over twenty years now, ever since he was a cynical six year old boy in school being told all about how it happens and how magical it all is.

The fact that there really is only one person out there for everyone was hard enough to believe, never mind the fact that some higher power decided that they needed a little (large) push in the right direction. But yet that was the case. He’d seen it first-hand (no pun intended)- his parents, cousins, teachers, even random people on the street- a small yet noticeable black marking on the inside of their left wrist. Almost like a tattoo except there is absolutely no choice in the matter. It’s there from the day you turn 16 until the day you die…

Your soul mate’s name.

Scribbled across your skin (in said soul mate’s hand writing, so he has learned) for the whole world to see. It’s a concept that Dani really wasn’t all that comfortable with. He didn’t understand why there was a need for such blatant intervention. If it was “meant to be” as everyone claimed it was, then why couldn’t you just trust it would happen? Why did you have to endure looking at it every day from your sixteenth birthday, waiting, never knowing exactly when your “other half” would show up?

It made Dani anxious. He could feel it almost burning his skin every time he met someone new, waiting to hear their name and find out whether or not they were “the one”. So far, no one had turned out to be that person and Dani wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Truthfully, he was more likely to go with the former. The thought of meeting the person he would spend the rest of his life with whether he liked it or not (he was assured that he _would_ , in fact, like it) didn’t make him feel hopeful or warm and fuzzy like other people… It terrified him and he had absolutely no idea why.

So the only conclusion that Dani could come to was that he probably just had a deeply founded fear of commitment. There was nothing he could do, save of course going to a therapist to fix him but that seemed like the worst idea ever. Instead, he just waited and waited for that divine day when he randomly encountered his soul mate and all his problems would be solved…

The only problem was that it wasn’t random. Or maybe it was, but it a universal ‘fuck you’ kind of way. Because really, this could only happen to him.

There he was, minding his own business in the paddock one day when he heard it. Someone had just uttered the name that was emblazoned on his wrist, concealed always by sleeves that were too long for him. Nothing could have prepared him for what it felt like to have the name that he had uttered resentfully over and over again to himself even since it appeared on his sixteenth birthday spoken by someone else. Someone that had absolutely no idea what it meant- or _would_ mean- to Dani.

_“That Marc Marquez is really going to be something.”_

_“Marquez? Pff, too aggressive. If he even makes it to Moto3 I’ll be surprised.”_

And there it was. That name on his wrist suddenly had context… and that context was the world of motorcycling racing. _Of all the luck in the world._ Dani suddenly felt sick; not just that sinking feeling you get after a race or when you crash, he felt a kind of nausea that he’d never felt before. His… _soul mate_ , Dani thought, teeth gritting automatically, was now more than just an idea. It was a person. _He_ was a person. And he-

_Wait._

He suddenly went from being nauseous to being in the middle of a full blown panic attack right in the middle of the garage.

_If he even makes it to Moto3 I’ll be surprised._

_HOW OLD IS THIS GUY?!_

Somehow managing to compose himself enough to actually interact with other people (it was no easy feat), Dani tried to swallow the lump in his throat before turning to face the two Repsol mechanics in question.

“Mar-Marquez? That name sounds familiar, who is he?”

The one who had not been so positive about him took it upon himself to answer that. “Marc Marquez. He’s with KTM in 125cc. He’s good, there’s just something about the way he rides that I don’t like.”

“Give the guy a break! You have to admit that he’s amazing for someone his age. He’s got time on his side!”

Dani’s stomach instantly dropped even further, if that was even possible. _Someone his age_. _Just bite the bullet._ “How old is he?” _I really don’t want to hear the answer to this._

“Fifteen.”

He honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry over the fact that it was worse than he thought. _Much_ worse than he thought. Fifteen?! Dani could honestly say that he expected at least seventeen. Or maybe sixteen at a push. But fifteen? What kind of sick person did that make him? It was more than just morally wrong, it was downright illegal! Which, now that he thought about it, was right in keeping with his luck.

Only Dani Pedrosa would get a soul mate that raced motorcycles. Only Dani Pedrosa would get a soul mate that was fifteen years old- eight years his junior. The worst part was that he didn’t get any of that warm and fuzzy feeling that you were allegedly supposed to get when you find your soul mate. In fact, all he felt was sick and downright mortified. The world hated him, it was official.

 _I_ really _hope it’s a different Marc Marquez…_

*

 

The day they first met was something Dani would never forget, not as long as he lived. He wasn’t sure what he expected of Marc, a boy of fifteen years and one hundred and thirty three days (it seemed like the motorsport world was the only place that counted the days), but it certainly wasn’t what he got. A young boy, obviously mature but undeniably childish at the same time, who seemed to know and be completely comfortable with where he was going and what he had to do to get there.

And the way he looked at Dani… it made it hard for him to breathe; bright eyes almost as black as ink that seemed to see right through to his soul. But Dani knew that was because he was apparently Marc’s hero, which only made the situation even weirder. _You’re not sixteen yet. You have no clue who I am. Or who I will be if we’re to believe all this crap._

“Marquez, right?”

 _Please don’t look at me like that. Like me even knowing who you are is the greatest miracle ever._ “You know who I am?” Marc asked, brow furrowing ever so slightly.

Dani wanted to laugh (better than crying) at the irony of it all. Because in less than two hundred days Marc Marquez would find out just why exactly that was the case and then things would certainly get awkward. “I’ve seen you race once or twice, you’re good.” _Maybe more than once or twice._

The young rider seemed completely overjoyed by that but in a very dignified way. _At least you have class._ “Wow, thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”

With a shrug, Dani managed to give him the faintest of smiles. “Not really, just telling the truth.” The funny thing, what really baffled him, was the fact that he felt nothing that he hadn’t basically made up in his own head for the kid. Wasn’t there supposed to be this cosmic pull that you felt when you finally met your soul mate? Because, really, Dani’s thoughts and feelings about him were very limited. If it weren’t for the unavoidable name on his wrist, he would have absolutely no clue that this guy was the one for him.

 _Maybe I’m just broken? It would be just my luck if I ended up with a “_ soul mate _” that I feel absolutely nothing for._

And the worst thing was, Dani had absolutely no clue that his mild indifference towards this boy who was intended to be a major part of his life was a good thing or a bad thing. So he decided that it was probably best to keep him at arm’s length. Well, at least until the fateful day when Marc would turn sixteen and see his name stained forever on his skin.

With another tight smile, he picked up one of his old slider’s and uncapped a marker, trying his very best to look as if he wasn’t too conflicted about what he should write on the stupid thing. As his pen hovered over the item in question, Dani caught a glimpse of his mark that was the tiniest bit uncovered and moved to fix it so quickly that the marker fell from his hand and onto the floor. Marc quickly picked it up and returned the item to his hero, smile still securely in place. _I need to get him out of here._ And that’s how he came up with the most laughable thing to ever say to one’s soul mate and quickly scrawled his name underneath.

‘Main objective: Beat Rossi’s record.’

*

 

_One. Two. Three…_

“Agh!” Alex exclaimed as he turned on the light and jumped on top of his sleeping and completely unsuspecting brother.

“ _Aggggghhhhhhh!_ ” Marc screamed in reaction, nearly falling off the bed in the process. He soon realised that it was just his idiot of a brother and not someone trying to break in and steal his trophies- or his innocence- but his heart obviously didn’t get the message and continued to beat so fast that he was pretty sure it would fly away. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you _trying_ to make me _die_ of a heart attack?” he snapped, giving his… _moron_ of a brother a thump on the back. Marc smiled, somewhat satisfied, when Alex let out a groan of pain and gingerly rubbed the sore area.

“Excuse me for wanting to wish my older brother a happy sixteenth birthday,” the youngest Marquez pouted.

Marc blinked for a moment, having pretty much forgotten that it was his birthday in his state of shock and drowsiness. “Oh yeah, it’s my birthday.”

Alex rolled his eyes and scooted closer. “Yes, it’s your birthday. So who is it?”

 _I can’t take this much confusion right now._ “What are you talking about?”

“You’re sixteen! Your time has come,” his younger brother beamed, youthful excitement shining in his mocha eyes, and reached out to grab Marc’s wrist.

As soon as he put two and two together in his head, Marc pulled back his arm as fast as he could, tearing it from Alex’s grip. “Why are you so interested?”

“It’s your soul mate, Marc. It’s kinda a big deal, finding out the name of the person you’re going to spend the rest of your life with!”

“Which is why I should probably look at it first, seeing as it is _my_ soul mate…”

Pouting once again, Alex raised his hands in surrender and backed off a bit. “Fine, but I’m staying here.”

 _I really couldn’t be bothered arguing with you about this so I’m just going to let it go._ “It’s probably going to be an anti-climax. It’s a random name, probably won’t mean anything to either of us.” _Until it does._

“Just do it!”

“Fine. God, so pushy…” Marc mumbled to himself, only feeling the slightest hint of butterflies in his stomach as he turned over his wrist (making sure that it was visible to only him). That changed completely when he saw the mark. Because the signature was one that he had seen before. In fact, it was perched upon the shelf above his bed, scrawled across a slider…

For once in his life, Marc Marquez was stunned into silence. He just sat there, eyes unnaturally wide and hand in the same position but no longer with his control. And he didn’t even fight it when Alex, seeing the look of distress on his brother’s face, grabbed his arm to see it first-hand himself.

“ _Does that say-“_ The youngest began, voice almost rising two octaves.

“Yes.”

_It definitely means something to us._

*

 

“Where’s your brother?” Roser frowned, smile faltering as she looked over her youngest son’s shoulder and saw no sign of Marc. If he didn’t hurry out soon, the birthday pancakes she had made in celebration would either gone cold or- more likely- been eaten.

 _Where do I start?_ Alex swallowed hard, trying his best not to look like a deer caught in headlights. “I think he needs some time to himself…”

“Alex Marquez Alenta, do not be evasive with me. What’s the matter? Marc always adores his birthday pancakes!”

“I’m pretty sure Marc should be the one to tell you this…”

Suddenly Roser understood exactly what he was hinting at. To be perfectly honest, the whole thing made her feel uneasy. She knew it was completely natural and probably something that every mother worried about but surely a little bit of anxiety was normal? Marc was her eldest; his turning sixteen was a massive deal for her. “His soul mate?”

Cringing as he recalled the whole thing, Alex merely nodded.

“Does he already know the person? Is that what’s wrong? Because that is quite common, nothing to be worried about.”

 _Ha. It can’t usually be as complicated as this._ “Yeah, he knows the person… but it’s not someone he would have ever imagined in a million years.”

Expression gradually changing from one of worry to a soft smile, Roser felt quietly relieved. _If he knows the person it can’t be that bad, right?_ “Again, that’s very common. Only very few people really ever have an idea of who their going to end up with. He’s probably just a bit overwhelmed. Now, tell me, who is lucky enough to have my son as a soul mate?”

Alex knew he really shouldn’t answer that question- it wasn’t exactly his place to do so. But, for reasons that weren’t entirely selfless (and who knew when Marc would leave his room again) he decided to just go ahead and answer it.

“Dani Pedrosa. Marc’s soul mate is Dani Pedrosa.”

And there went the relief.


	2. Chapter 2

“Dani, there’s someone I want you to meet,” Puig said plainly, pulling the Repsol rider’s attention away from the conversation he had been having with Valentino Rossi. At first the request didn’t seem so unusual- Alberto was always trying to get new contacts for his rider- so Dani casually turned around. Nothing, however, could have prepared him for what he saw when he did…

Marc Marquez- his soul mate- seemingly being forcibly pushed towards him by his manager, Emilio Alzamora. Marc quietly tried to protest but Emilio was having absolutely none of it. What reason could there be to not want to meet one of the best MotoGP riders to come on the scene in the last few years? His hero on top of that. Dani paled instantly, wondering to himself if Emilio- or Alberto for that matter- would be so quick to push the two of them together if he knew…

“Dani, this is Marc Marquez he rides in 125,” his manager introduced them and Dani really had to resist the urge to grimace.

 _Thanks, but I already kind of know that._ His breath caught in his throat, however, when his soul mate actually turned to face him, the hint of a scowl quickly turning into something that more resembled shock than anything. Marc had changed, it was impossible to deny. There was something about him that seemed so completely different. It had been what, seven months since he last saw him in person- the only time he had seen him in person- and yet so much seemed to have changed. He was a bit taller, more muscular and his features seemed to be more distinctive than before. But Dani knew there was a reason for that; mainly the fact that he was now sixteen years of age. He knew exactly who Dani was and that made him cringe internally.

 _I was wrong when I thought that meeting him that day was the most terrifying moment of my life… This is the most terrifying moment of my life by a long shot._ Only too aware of their managers (and Rossi) watching them but somehow unable to actually see them, Dani found himself smiling softly much to his surprise. “We’ve met.” Marc, standing there in a pair of dark jeans and a white shirt with the top buttons undone, was suddenly a lot more interesting than he was that day in the paddock. It hadn’t been too long ago but somehow it seemed like a lifetime had passed. Races had been won, lost; there had been crashes, trophies and adoration… Dani thought it was the strangest thing in the world; that they were waiting for each other all those months. That they were meant to be together, it was just a matter of time. It made him feel both uncomfortable and surprisingly warm at the same time.

If it wasn’t for the dim lights in the bar (that he was only just allowed to be in) he would have sworn that Marc was blushing. “Yes, we have.” Searching the older man’s face for something that would give him away, he found nothing. He would have killed to get a glimpse inside Dani’s mind, to know what he was thinking right at that moment. But more importantly, to find out what he had been thinking all those months ago when they met, Marc completely oblivious and Dani fully aware of what was going on. If what he had heard was true then he would find out some day… but something told him that that day was not going to be today.

“You have?” Emilio asked, arching an eyebrow, “Great! Honda are eyeing Marc for the future so they thought it would be good if you two met. Who knows? You might even be team mates one day.”

Dani met Marc’s eye for the briefest of moments before the younger man bashfully averted them, once again leaving him terrified. Because neither of them had a clue how this one was going to play out.

 _We_ might _be team mates one day… but one day we’re_ definitely _going to be more._

*****

“Alex-alex-alex-alex-alex-“

“What, Marc?! Spit it out!”

As Marc hyperactively paced his hotel room- shared with another rider but he was out- he tried his best not to completely freak out. His face was still burning from the encounter with Dani over an hour and a half ago and breathing was becoming something of a challenge. “Aghh. Okay. Emilio introduced me to Alberto Puig tonight-“

“ _Dani’s manger?!_ ”

“Yes, _Dani’s manager_! And then Puig wanted to introduce me to _Dani_!”

Pause. “Well that’s awkward…”

 _Sometimes you infuriate me._ “You think?! Emilio had to practically push me all the way over to him and Rossi-“

“ _Rossi_ was there too? This gets even better!”

 _There is a time for laughing and this most certainly is_ not _it._ “I’m glad you find it so funny,” Marc scowled, “I won’t bother telling you so…”

“NO. I’m sorry! You have to tell me! I promise I’ll be good?”

 _Pff. Highly doubt that’s going to happen. But I really need to tell someone this so they can tell me that it really isn’t as bad as I think it is…_ Letting out a whoosh of air, Marc plonked down on the bed, eyes squeezed tightly shut. “Fine. As you know, we’ve already met-“

“ _Met_? Having _met_ before isn’t exactly your biggest worry…”

“Yes, I know. Now would you please let me finish the story?!” It was at times like this that he was very grateful that he actually loved his brother. Either that or he would have murdered him and hid the body years ago.

Cough. “Go ahead.”

Cringing once again, Marc wearily rubbed his face with his free hand, trying his absolute best to make the absolute shame go away somehow. It wasn’t even close to working. “Alex,” now completely serious, “I’ve just made the biggest idiot of myself ever in front of Alberto Puig, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi…”

More silence. “Oh god, Marc… What did you do?”

 _I love how you know I’m not exaggerating._ “I-“ Wondering how he could ever say it out loud, Marc wondered if he should just go and drown himself in the hotel swimming pool. Surely that would be a better alternative to ever seeing Dani Pedrosa- his hero, his soul mate- again. “It got really awkward, okay? Dani obviously knew before I did and now he knows that I know… I just couldn’t stay there and talk to him like that! Especially not with other people there. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to act around him, never mind how to act around him when there is other very important people around! So I…”

“Get it over with, it’s not going to get any easier!”

“I told them that I needed to _pee_! And then ran away!” Once the words had finally left his mouth, the sixteen year old collapsed dramatically onto the bed like a stereotypical overly dramatic teenager. Except Marc was fairly certain that he had reason to be dramatic.

_Ugh, he’s not laughing. It must be as bad as I thought. My life is completely over._

“Of _all_ the excuses you could have made! Seriously?!”

“I know, I know, I know! I was stressed and nervous and obviously not thinking clearly! It came out of my mouth before I could even stop it!” _The shame, the_ shame.

Alex sighed wearily. “I don’t know what to tell you…”

“Tell me I’m an idiot!”

“You’re an idiot.”

_And you mean it._

*****

It wasn’t until over a month later that Dani realised something was wrong. Or rather, something was missing. It took him even longer to realise what that something was. His epiphany was spurred on by the sight of Marc Marquez, bike in tow, bouncing into the gravel after a risky move for third place didn’t exactly pay off. That’s when he felt it, the pain that Marc most likely felt. But it wasn’t a physical type of pain, it was more a pain that went right to his very soul. He ached, but there was absolutely no reason for it. Marc was okay, just a broken finger or two from what the commentators had said, so why did he feel so anxious?

Dani had long decided that it was better to keep his distance from the younger man for a while. Marc was still sixteen and, if they were meant to be together, there would be plenty of time. There was absolutely no way that he was going to force himself into Marc’s life if he wasn’t ready and Dani very much suspected he wasn’t. He was making his own way through 125cc and soon he would inevitably become part of the MotoGP circus; he deserved to be able to enjoy that whole journey without the pressure or attention (negative or otherwise) that went with being Dani Pedrosa’s soul mate. So he was more than willing to wait…

But it was getting more difficult. He didn’t know exactly why it was happening but it was becoming increasingly harder to stay away. The change in his feelings happened so gradually that he never even saw it coming but it was definitely happening. It wasn’t until Dani was sat there on the couch in his motorhome, worried eyes locked on the television screen, that he really started to think about it, to trace back those feelings.

It didn’t take long for him to figure out what had changed. The realisation hit Dani like someone had slapped him.

_I haven’t changed… it’s you that’s changed._

Because Dani had known since he was sixteen years of age that Marc was his soul mate (even though it wasn’t until recently that he actually found out who he was) but it had only been a matter of months since Marc had made the discovery. And- unsurprisingly- that was when Dani had started to see him in a different light. And if the past couple of months were anything to go by, the connection he felt with the younger man would only grow stronger and stronger. It seemed like an inevitability. The only question was how quickly it would happen.

*****

_No, no, no._

Marc stood from where he had been sitting in the team garage, MotoGP on a small screen in the far corner to distract everyone since there was low probability of anyone getting out on track any time soon. It was a completely wash out. He really wished he had been out there, however, the moment he saw Dani’s crash.

The bike was a write-off, that was for sure but it wasn’t the bike he was worried about; it was his soul mate that was lying in the gravel, gingerly trying to get up. He was quickly joined by a couple of marshals who succeeded in making him remain still until the medics arrived and offered him a stretcher… which he seemed only too glad to take.

_Fuck._

Marc inched closer to the tv, feeling like something was tugging at his soul. He’d never felt it that strong before, which only made him worry even more. _You’re okay. You have to be okay._

“Marc?” Emilio asked warily, getting up from where he had been sitting near his rider, “Are you okay?”

The sound of his voice startled the young rider, who had pretty much forgotten that there was anyone else around. “I need to go to Jerez.”

Emilio deadpanned. “Jerez? Why do you need to go to Jerez? _When_ do you need to go to Jerez?”

“To see if Dani’s okay. I need to see if Dani’s okay. I need to go now.”

 _What the fuck is going on?_ “Dani?! I’m sure he’ll be fine. Even if he’s not, it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Marc’s eyes instantly narrowed at the man he considered a second father, anger starting to build. “It’s definitely something for me to worry about. I want to see Dani! I _have_ to see Dani! I’m going to Jerez _now_.”

“I’m confused-“

Deciding that there was pretty much no other choice in the situation, he tugged the sleeve of his leathers upwards so that his mark was in plain view. “Make sense now?”

After much arguing with the team, ending in Emilio having to quietly disclose his rider’s… situation, Marc was allowed to leave for “personal reasons”.  Julia, who was a constant presence in his son’s garage, offered to go with him but Marc politely turned that down on the basis that the age difference was embarrassing enough without showing up to Jerez alongside his father. But Julia settled for leaving him in the capable hands of Emilio who would probably be needed to deal with Alberto anyway (he would _never_ admit that pissing him off was one of the little joys in life).

So they quickly headed for the airport, Marc’s worry seeming to grow by the minute. He hoped, wished, prayed with every ounce of his being that Dani would be okay. The last thing he wanted was to lose the soul mate that he had just found, not when the future now looked so promising and exciting.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! But thank you so much for all the comments/kudos! I'll try to finish it soon! ♥

Dani wasn’t sure how long he had been out- or where he was for a moment before it all came back to him and was abundantly clear that he was in the hospital, _again_ \- when he woke. He felt as if he’d been asleep for years and was seriously groggy but that was a small price to pay for being pain-free. Looking down, already feeling that one arm seemed to be heavier than the other, he cursed to himself when he saw the bandages that covered the right side of his clavicle and kept his left arm supported. _Collarbone. Fuck. Again._

In attempt to find some water to stop his throat and mouth feeling like the Sahara desert, Dani looked around, finding what he was looking for just out of reach… on his right side. _Wow, someone really thought that one through._

He was just about to shimmy forward a bit when the sound of someone coughing almost made him jump a foot into the air and succeeding in making him wince in pain at the sudden movement. When his eyes shot up and fell upon the figure curled up in a very uncomfortable looking position in a chair in the corner of the room, his heart nearly stopped dead on the spot.

Marc Marquez. Sleeping. In his hospital room. In Jerez. _When the fuck did that happen?_

For a long moment, Dani pondered exactly what he should do with that information. Should he let him sleep or…? What was the protocol for finding your sixteen year old soul mate and possible future team mate asleep in your hospital room after you’ve broken a bone in a motorcycling accident? He quickly decided that there was none because, really, who else in the world would that have happened to?

So he did the only thing he could think of in that situation, he coughed. Loudly. When Marc stirred but didn’t wake, he did it again despite feeling like a complete idiot. That time it did the trick and the young rider jerked slightly, dark eyes fluttering open in confusion.

_You’re beautiful._

The realisation hit Dani so hard that it almost knocked the wind out of him and he prayed that his cheeks were already flushed from the medication so he didn’t look like a complete weirdo.

“Hi.”

“You’re awake.”

“I could say the same about you.”

This time it was Marc’s turn to blush, glancing down at the floor for a moment with a sheepish smile on his face before the urge to look back at the older rider became too much. “I’m sorry I just showed up here. I just saw your accident and I… I just felt like I _had_ to be here.”

_I know the feeling._ “You don’t need to apologise. It feels… good having you hear.” He coughed again but it wasn’t purposive this time.

“Water?” Marc guessed, up on his feet and already beginning to pour without waiting for an answer.

“Thanks,” smiling as best he could, Dani reached out his good arm to receive the plastic cup. “So… how did you make it past Alberto?”

“With great difficulty,” the younger man chuckled, hovering by the foot of the bed until Dani gestured for him to sit down, “But I had Emilio with me so it wasn’t so bad. I kinda had to tell him about our… situation. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Seriously, he was going to find out sooner or later. And he wasn’t just going to believe you showed up here for no reason in particular. How long has Emilio known?”

Perching so close to the edge of the bed out of sheer awkwardness and fear that he would hurt him further, Marc smiled softly. “I had to tell him earlier on. We were in the garage and MotoGP quali was on and I freaked out when I saw you crash. Told him I _had_ to go to Jerez, he looked at me like I was crazy!”

“You’re meant to be racing. You shouldn’t have come if that was the case. You could have called, I would have-“

“Dani,” the younger of the two interrupted, sadness (and something else) suddenly appearing in his eyes, making him look ten years older than he really was, “It wasn’t a choice. I… I thought… It looked really bad. And when you were taken away on a stretcher… I didn’t have a choice. I don’t want to assume anything but maybe it would have been the same for you if our positions were switched?”

Dani laughed, he genuinely laughed before realising how that must have sounded and felt to Marc. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just,” he glanced down at Marc’s hand and saw that there were two fingers still strapped together, “When you came off the bike a couple of weeks ago I almost did the same.”

“I broke two fingers! I was fine. Okay, I really would have laughed at you if you had showed up. No offence!”

_Maybe this really isn’t going to be as bad as I had anticipated._ “I said _almost_! None taken.”

*****

“ _Alex!_ ”

Alex’s eyes shot open as he jumped so much he nearly fell off the bed. Heart racing so fast that he actually feared for his health, he clutched the covers to his chest to try and calm himself down a bit. “Marc! What the fuck! Seriously, it’s like two o’clock in the morning!” _If you’re bursting through my door and waking me at two o’clock in the morning there better be a good reason._

“This is _important_. I just got a text from Dani!” Marc gushed, throwing himself down on the bed next to his brother.

_Give me patience…_ “And? I really hope there’s more to the story than just a text.”

“Pff, of course. It’s Dani’s birthday next week. Sunday. You know what is also Sunday?”

“Aragón?”

“Exactly! He wants me to come to Aragón!”

Alex smiled despite himself. He could forgive his brother for being excited. “You think you two will-“

“No. But it’s a start.”

*****

Marc knew he should be freaking out a lot more than he was. There he was, standing around the Repsol Honda garage of all places, watching Dani- his Dani- and Casey Stoner get set up for qualifying. It was almost enough to make him pinch himself in order to make sure that this was all for real. But he was remarkably calm for someone who was at their soul mate’s (hero’s) place of work under the very watchful and undoubtedly disapproving eye of Dani’s manager. There had certainly been quite a bit of confusion when Dani showed up with the younger rider, making the situation almost unbearably awkward for the both of them. But Dani hid it well, gave his… Marc a reassuring smile and brought him over to check out the bike.

Honda, for the most part, seemed only too happy to have the youngster there, almost as if they were trying to sell Repsol to him. As if, given the chance, he’d choose any other team. But Marc just went along with it, enjoying their attention and flattery, casting a glance at Dani every so often who was working with his mechanics. The older man caught his eye a couple of times, always sending a smile his way that Marc had quickly learned was reserved solely for him.

_Someday I’ll be here with you, sitting on the other side of the garage._

*****

“Marc Marquez starts from pole position today for the first time in the last five races, having put in a blistering lap that left second place Pol Espargaró almost half a second behind.”

“He certainly seems to be in top form this weekend. I definitely wouldn’t bet against him to take the top spot here today provided he can make it to the end of the race. Of course, he’s a rider who has been plagued by crashes and misfortunes since the start of the season.”

“That has to change today though, doesn’t it? With his great hero, Dani Pedrosa, watching on from the pits. He’s not going to want to be left red faced in front of the MotoGP championship contender. Marc himself has made a couple of appearances in the Repsol garage… Tell you what, it’s not a bad place to pick up a couple of tips!”

*****

“Where’s your brother?” Roser asked impatiently, giving a disapproving shake of her head before blowing out the candles once again so that there would actually be _something_ left of them for the person they were intended to celebrate to see.

_You really have to ask that?_ “Probably still on the phone to Dani, gushing over his present. I don’t see why they don’t just get over themselves already, Marc’s seventeen now. Okay, so maybe he’s not an adult but…”

Julia decided to take that one, noticing the scowl on his wife’s face. Dani Pedrosa still seemed to be a controversial topic in their house, despite the fact that it was clear to everyone that Marc was head over heels with him. Roser, naturally, has her reservations about the age gap and the effect that would have on how long she had left with her eldest. Dani had just made the move to Geneva and the unanswered question that hung over all of them, the big pink elephant in the room, was how long it would be before Marc joined him there.

“Dani’s doing the right thing. Marc just turned seventeen, he’s not ready for that just yet. It’s not like they don’t have plenty of time.”

_From what I’ve heard at night he seems_ very _ready for it…_ “Why couldn’t I have gotten Dani?” Alex pouted, attempting another sneak attack on the chocolate cake but his mother quickly slapped his finger away once again before it could reach the icing, “I mean, have you _seen_ the bike he got Marc? I can’t wait to see what he gets him for his 18 th!”

Upon hearing that, Roser went looking for her eldest, for once in her life thankful that it was Marc that had Dani Pedrosa as a soul mate.

*****

“How did you cope with Adrianna?” Dani slurred one night in Indy, having a couple of celebratory drinks in the bar with his team mate after a hard earned Repsol 1-2.

Casey looked at him, brow furrowed in confusion, head tilted slightly to the left. “Huh?”

“Adrianna,” he enunciated more clearly, “How did you deal with _that_?” Dani made a gesture but he wasn’t even sure he understood what it meant.

_When did you get so deep?_ “What do you mean?”

That, _is a good question._ “She was fourteen when you met her, no?”

“Yeah…”

“And you knew what she was to you.”

“I did.”

_Yeah, that’s the thing._ Dani took another sip of his beer, trying to gather all his thoughts together in his head so that they were at least somewhat coherent. “How did that work? I mean, did you just meet her and say ‘oh, you’re my soul mate! See you in a couple of years!’?”

Staring at his team mate for a moment, Casey shook his head and chuckled softly to himself. _This is way too specific to be a random drunken thought._ “Not exactly, I met her a couple of times before she turned 16. But there was really no rush, was there? I knew she was always going to be there, so I just waited.”

“And now you’re married.”

“Yeah, we are.”

_If I followed your lead I would be married to Marc next year. That’s something to think about._ “I think Roser would kill me,” Dani chuckled humourlessly to himself, not realising that he said that out loud until he saw the look of confusion on he’s team mate’s face. _Well, fuck._ “Marc’s mother.” _Stop talking._

“Marc?”

“Marquez.”

_I was not expecting that._ “Wow. Uh, that’s… wow. A rider?”

Dani had a feeling he should stop, that he had already divulged enough private information, but figured that the damage was already done. _And I really need someone to talk to._ “Yeah. Not only a rider, one destined for Repsol Honda.” _And it hasn’t occurred to me until now that it might be my job and not yours he takes…_

“How old is he?”

“Seventeen.”

“I was already dating Ade by the time she was seventeen. Are you and Marc…?”

“Nope. Well, not officially. I don’t know… We’re friends? But then again we’re not _just_ friends.”

“So basically you’re dating but he’s still seventeen.”

_I think that actually might makes sense._ “I guess we are.”

****

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-fuck-fuck._

“What- argh- NO- Fuck! Marc- FUCK.” _It’s over. It’s fucking over. Why didn’t you just go out on wets? That could be it… the moment that you lost the championship._ Completely uncaring that he had now attracted a number of funny looks from Marc’s team, Dani watched the screen, seeing the younger rider haul the bike upright again, marshal’s quickly coming to his aid to get it started up again. _You held onto it… It’s not over._

Chaos, that was the only word that could describe the state of the garage in the moments that ensued. While Marc was still finishing his sighting lap, parts were frantically being collected, all preparing to get out onto the grid and fight to get the bike fixed before the warm up lap, Dani offering to help before being politely told that he should stay out of the way. So instead he watched the screen, watched Marc near closer and closer to the end of his lap, Emilio and co waiting impatiently for him at the front of the grid. But Marc never made it to the grid, instead he pulled into the pits, mechanics and crew almost falling over themselves to prepare for his arrival, no one expecting it, Emilio hopping the wall before sprinting back…

_What are you doing? You haven’t got time to make the changes in here. You won’t make it in time._

And he almost did, to everyone’s surprise, but he was just a couple of seconds too slow. That’s it. Done. Starting from the pitlane in a race where it was so important to get a good result. Not the end of the world but certainly not helping his chances of winning the title in the slightest. Because it was clear to everyone that Marc Marquez was special but starting from the pitlane with his championship rivals at the front was not a good position to be in, surely it was about damage limitation…

Except Marc had to go and prove everyone wrong, everyone who ever doubted he would turn out to be one of the finest riders the sport had ever seen. He won the race, almost giving his soul mate about forty heart attacks in the process, leaving him eventually in quite the state, tears of disbelief and joy flowing, gripping to Julia for dear life, even embracing Roser who was equally distraught… And he’d never felt something so powerful- _love_ so powerful in all his life. All consuming and burning like a million candles, making him feel like anything was possible; that if Marc could do that, Dani himself could do anything. The glances they’d shared, brief but powerful and indecipherable to anyone else, as Emilio brought his rider into the back of the garage after the crash to try calm him down were played over and over again in his mind as he watched gleefully while Marc went on his victory lap, knowing that moment had been monumental for them, that Dani had at least a small part to pay in the younger man’s success.

A part of him thought that maybe he should stay in the garage and not go to watch the podium before he decided that he really didn’t care what anyone else thought, in a couple of years they would know everything and the paranoia was categorically not enough to give up the chance to witness one of the most character defining moments of Marc’s life. So he stood there, trying his very best not to get teary eyed again, failing every now and then, and clapped, cheered, everything for Marc- _his_ Marc.

And then, when all the drama had died down and Marc had returned to the garage, Dani took him into the back…

And then he kissed him.


End file.
